There Will Be Blood

JD Greer he died today and you know absolutely certain that you be good enough for God to let you into heaven, the question behind that question is, what's the standard that God uses to determine who gets Leviticus answers that question in a very clear way.

Absolute perfection is what is required. One false move one on authorized movement and your dad Bible teaching ministry JD Greer.

I'm your host Molly benefits are continuing our teaching series called the whole story. He is giving us an overview of the whole Bible from Genesis to Revelation and were heading most of the key stories along the way. So if you miss any part of this story. You can find all the previous messages@jdgreer.com not stick around because we are looking at a part of the Bible that you don't usually hear a lot about the book of Leviticus. No, seriously, stay right here.

Leviticus is a crucial book in understanding both the standard and the sacrifice necessary to make us right with God and important topic. As we look ahead to Jesus in his ultimate work on the cross soap Dilantin people were going there after JD titled this message. There will be given up on the shore, the beach and you race you know with your friends and the water splashes you cannot see all Sprint nonavailability of the water, you're still running, but your steps, you fall face first. Always feel like that when I start to read the Bible, Genesis acted as a man I faced person so Leviticus seems like a strange book to be sure. First off, there is the name itself Leviticus. That just sounds daunting to me. It's not a cool name like Exodus or Romans Leviticus sounds like a disease or maybe a pair of jeans or something, but on second is filled with all kinds of rules and regulations about diet, dress, archaic religious rituals.

Some of the rules seem weird at best.

They seem random, eating locusts is good but shrimp is bad. God loves sideburns. Leviticus 1927. Apparently, because you are not allowed to cut them Duck Dynasty was a permanent fashion fixture in ancient Israel tattoos are not allowed.

Not even little ones on your ring finger to show how much you love your wife back talking your parents can get you stone. Absolutely you are not allowed to wear clothes of mixed fibers, which means that if you were wearing polyester. Not only are you out of fashion.

You are in sin. If we were in the days of Leviticus, one of the laws states that if you guys are in a fight one of them reaches out and grabs the other women. I particularly shall we say, sensitive place, then he is to have his hand cut off and you think of all the rules that you felt compelled to include in the one code of conduct. Why feel the need to include that went we have a code of conduct. We have a staff handbook. Here, the summit church never felt compelled to spell out a regulation on that. I just never been necessary. You say why now. I hope that you will hear any of what I just said is sacrilegious because I know the Lord is perfect.

I just want to acknowledge to you that when I read it I get the sense that it appear strange just like you do lot of people read this and they wonder why is it that we seem to follow some of the parts of Leviticus, but as others we cannot opt out of love it when the Medicus talks about certain sexual behaviors of sand, for example, we quote that says not to eat shellfish or eat a hamburger with cheese on it that's going to be a regulation therapy read it. Your why don't a lot of us anymore and we just picking and choosing what part Leviticus. We want to follow that question. I gusted up to me just couple weeks ago on the next mail plate. Is that what you know with all the Bible either because you pick and choose what you want to listen to what you don't let me answer that last question really quickly before we jump in because it's such a huge question. I know that you get it, basically on scholar saucer three Council laws in the book of Leviticus there what we call civil laws are laws that govern the behavior of the nation. Punishment for crimes and that kind of stuff.

Then there are ceremonial laws as category two. These are the regulations are given about cleanliness about the sacrificial system on things like that. Then there are moral laws and those of the laws and declare what God sees as immoral.

That covers everything from murder and theft to ideals for sexuality when Jesus came he said two things about the law in Leviticus that can seem contradictory at first.

The first thing he said is a laws absolutely perfect. Matthew 518. Sooner would heaven and earth pass away been one shot or tittle of the wall will pass away John or tittle. By the way, is the Hebrew way of saying… I cross the T concert is not a single shred of it is untrue and it will never pass away. But then he turned around and said that those of us who work born again by him are released from the law because he has fulfilled it for us and you say will not one jot or tittle pass away, but then were released from it because you fulfilled a force. What is it mean that Jesus fulfilled the law. What it means is that all the laws pointed to Jesus and when he came he fulfilled everything that they were pointing to the civil laws set up the nation of Israel from which Jesus would emerge when Jesus came he started a new Israel, a spiritual Israel, so we are no longer bound by the civil codes of of Leviticus because God no longer has a nationstate on earth anymore like he did with ancient Israel. The ceremonial laws illustrate for us. God's holiness. They point to our unholiness and they show us what God can do about it.

The world holiness or purities use in the book of Leviticus over 80 times all those laws and sacrifices are going to be fulfilled in Jesus's life and is now so the book of Hebrews makes clear that if we have accepted Christ the ultimate sacrifice that we don't need all these lesser sacrifices anymore when the real thing is there no longer legally. The shadows on the moral laws.

However, they reflect what God finds good and what he finds offensive. So those things still do apply to us since the God behind them doesn't change what God found offensive 2000 years ago. He still finds offensive today. Jesus is going to reaffirm those moral laws to tell us that we should be like him and to love what you love and what he love was the morality that spelled out in the book of Leviticus. So when we say that the sexual ethics of Leviticus are still relevant, but the prohibitions against eating shellfish and wearing polyester are not.

That's not an arbitrary distinction that we are making. It's how the New Testament teaches us to interpret Leviticus. I know for what it's worth, the book of Leviticus appears to be one of Jesus's favorite books of the Bible verse he quotes most often is from the book of Leviticus. The appears to have the entire book memorized on were going to look at just one chapter in the book of Leviticus today because scholars tell us of the entire book of Leviticus is shaped around this chapter in this chapter got him to give very important instructions about a very important date.

Like the most important day of the Jewish year a day called the Yom Kippur war Jan Dakin for covering literally the day of the covering this day became so central in Jewish life that it was simply called your mom or the day the day.

Now as we get into this. Some of you are still to be tempted to think well this is all interesting history.

But it's not immediately relevant to my life. But think of it this way, this whole book deals with the problem that every single one of us face at some point in our lives and that his feelings of guilt we have about certain things that we've done are certain decisions that we made you can relate to that right. I know a lot of you can.

Many of you today walked in with some secret and it is eating you up on the inside.

Maybe it's a sexual sin that you have committed. Maybe you know that you been a bad parent or a bad sibling or a bad spouse and you feel guilty about how you behave toward someone in your life. Maybe that person is even around anymore for you to apologize to maybe reach parents and they they passed away and you like I can't even say I'm sorry and get absolution from them. A lot of times these feelings of guilt or lead us to shame is shame is that question were you asked what kind of person am I done something like that when people found out that I did this or that some sins that when you confess them. They get your sympathy right struggle with pride and knives hospitalized all yeah yeah I just overwork too much. You know it. Oh yeah, and there's other sins that if you confess them. It makes people feel awkward right if you bring a familiar small group on Christian counselor David Allison talked about it this way. Some things however do not elicit sympathetic nods is your adulterous and your family finds out there not to be nodding. Oh I understand. We struggled at two shameful sins received stairs not nods. Even when guilt is confess the sin remains miss some of you know what that feeling of shame is like and then there's this whole thing with some psychologist call covert guilt, secret guilt, which is this feeling we have that were guilty to something were not even sure why his back to Genesis 2, where the first effect of our sin was we felt naked when we send Adam and Eve sinned their nakedness was exposed previously that they been clothed in the love and the acceptance of God.

But now they just felt naked and it it shows you how humanity goes through life feeling naked and exposed like were not approved like were going to be judged were not even sure exactly why, but it makes us ask this question. Am I going to be judged immediately. Even if you don't believe in God is still fertile lingers back there in your heart. I need some kind of atonement I need some kind of redemption. I need somebody important to tell me that I matter. Let me ask you if you died today. Do you know absolutely for certain that you be good enough for God to let you and Devon and I asked a question for a long time is that what's a standard, how do you know I mean is it running the love God more, pray more, how do you know that you are going to get a passing grade in to make the cut again in Leviticus, the book of Leviticus is relevant to us because all of us asked that question in some form universal experience really guilty, and if so why what can I do about it. So let's start our examination of this day and in chapter 16 with a very sobering incident in Leviticus 10 that that sets it out. You stay there. Leviticus 16 take what I want to see Leviticus. Dammit, I'm limit is 10 is a story of some, it happened that sets up chapter 16 and Mexicana make sense, made evident by who, chapter 10 of the sons of Aaron offer unauthorized fire before the Lord. In other words, the command and they make a sacrifice that God has not prescribed, which he had not commanded in verse two would fire came out from before the Lord and consumed them, and they died there before the Lord and the Lord then says to Moses, jumped in chapter 16. Tell your brother Aaron that is not to come in whenever he chooses to the most holy place behind the curtain from the atonement cover the article 111 minute, or else he is going to die. This is how Aaron is to enter the most holy play.

Don't just let them come in anyway want member made evident by who nowadays you didn't grow up in Sunday school and me cannot spell this out for you because it will help you see the picture of it. I'm beginning parts of the temple was basically like this. Yet this area here only the priest go when it was called the holy place and then behind that there was separated by the skirt. Near this place called the holy of holies, or the most holy place in the most holy Place, there was essentially one piece of important furniture and that important piece of furniture called the Ark of the covenant. It is this golden kind of box that has this safe you sacred relics and it and it has nothing on the top of the mercy seat. Mercy does not see where you actually sat down but it was the seat of where God's presence dwelt on the mercy seat and then over top of that. Are these two cherubim, or angels that are guarding in a sense the way into the presence of God.

Now if you remember back in Genesis 3 when Adam and Eve and send God put an angel with a flaming sword to guard entry in the presence of God. And that's what this is trying to re-picture there is that the way has been barred the holy of holies was a place that you just didn't go into. Nobody went into it. It was only entered by one person, the most high priest on one day you'll get more the rest of the temples really busy every day people offering sacrifices, but not the holy of holies Maggie was separated. By this thing called the para-cat para-cat in Hebrew means literally shut off and it is a curtain.

It was 4 inches thick.

It was made up of 72 different strands of gold and you have a red and purple and blue. Each of the strands had 24 cords and it was really really thick and it made the whole place in total darkness.

Like I said, it literally means shut off because that's what the holy of holies was it was shut off all the people in only one priest, the high priest on one day going to pour was allowed to go in chapter 16 is going to spell out for you what that process look like it so it begins to give you the details.

Let me just summarize the details here now. I'll pull a little bit of what we know from Jewish history on the process started a week beforehand, the high priest was put into seclusion didn't see anybody touch anybody talk anybody because he didn't want to encounter something unclean you wanted to be totally pure when he went into the holy of holies the night before Joan could bore, he stayed up all night just praying and preparing reading the Bible and preparing his soul to go in before God together. The next morning he would bathe meticulously clean every part of his body between several times and he put on a white linen robe that had never been worn by anybody brand-new pure white linen go into the holy of holies he would offer a sacrifice on the mercy seat for his own sins, he would come back out. He would bathe a second time and he would throw away that white linen be put on another one, and he would go back in a second time and offer another sacrifices time for the sins of the priestly community and would come back out a baby again. He put on another white linen 30 a little way back in the third time and offer sacrifice for the sins of the people Old Testament scholar Ray Dillard says this wasn't this was all done in public. The temple was crowded. Those in attendance watch very closely. There was a thin screen for modesty sake that he would bathe behind, but the people were present for his every move.

They watched him dress they saw him baby watched him go in and come back out he wasn't there representative before God and they were cheering him on, and making sure he didn't write because they were very concerned to make sure that everything was done properly and with purity because he was representing them before God, and he was obtaining forgiveness from God for their sin. Chapter 16 explains the part of the sacrifice ritual was the choosing of two goats by one of the goats. They rolled the dice want to go to was going be sacrifice and is going to be offered in there in the holy of holies the other one is going to be described in verse 10 chosen by lot as the scapegoat will be presented alive before the Lord is one. Go gets to slaughter the other goat is kept alive and the priest is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over at all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites all their sins they support them effectively speaking on the goats at nominal telescope that ago they killed the second go. They send them away into the wilderness in the care of somebody appointed for the task little humor and that because I Jewish historian say that they would put a person outside of the city gate so as soon as the goat you're carrying all their sins watered in the wilderness. The person would take it a good fold off a cliff because anyone that go just to kind of wander back into the camp as I will be like awkward like a theirs or Sam coming back to us at the betterment so they just made sure that it was properly disposed of, and you never saw it again. Okay, so the questions a lot of details right. What is it that we learn about guilt and sin. Our guilt and our sin. From this chapter. There is number one we learned our sin is much worse than we imagined. Our sin is much worse and much deeper and much more pervasive than we imagine reading the book of Leviticus you get this sense over and over and over again that a great golf exist between us and God. We are literally para-cat. We are shut off the way it is guarded by mighty angels and swords at the beginning of this message, I asked you if you died today. Do you know absolutely for certain that you be good enough for God let you and Evan. The question behind that question is, what's the standard that God uses to determine who gets in Leviticus answers that question in a very clear way.

Absolute perfection is what is required. That's what made a habit of buying show you one false move one unauthorized movement and your dad. We always talk about family is not that bad with all mistakes always is… I was confused on not as bad as other people.

That's because we have a very man centered view of sin.

Sin is sinful because of who it is against a sin against an infinite God is infinitely guilty and what Leviticus shows us is that we are filled with these kinds of sins this and everything we think it's in everything we say it's all that we know Leviticus even has this category for unknown sin, things we were simple to know about the Puritans used to say.

Even our tears of repentance have to be washed in the blood of the Lamb. Even when I weep in repentance. There's going to be sin mixed and that James 417 says that if I know to do good. No do it at sin. How many times about the date. I think that's a good thing that I should do to lazy. I'm not a good mood. I'll do it later. Also but I also do it right. Sin is much worse than we imagine is much worse to imagine inasmuch more pervasive in our lives than we realize, of tried to describe it to you like this. It's like if you were getting a blood transfusion, and you found out that this blood that you're getting this court of blood as to microbes of the AIDS virus and it right and in the US is a little tiny.

They can even see it but it makes it totally to file when you rip the vent out your authority to get away from me were much more simple than we imagine our sin is much worse away. Imagine Paul says it this way in Romans 323 all of us have sin and fall short of the glory of God.

The standard were compared ourselves to is not a person sitting next to you stating your comparing yourself to is the glory of God and his light of the glory of God. You fall short Leviticus tells you cover that describe what falling short in swimming to Japan, the greatest swimmer I can swim. I mean that this probably is being generous. I might make it a mile and 1/2 if you let me do backstroke and flowed more. Whatever you but if I mighty Omega non-ass that is not great right there's a guy in our church.

I've heard has swamped swims when I whatever he swims in the past. The him across the English Channel.

The MSO 21. Some miles at all of 42 times longer than I can swim right that's awesome but you put both of us on the shore California and say had to Japan this 21 miles.

Don't make my mom and I have really look that much different doesn't because both of us compared to the distance to Japan a fallen way short when it comes to the glory of God. You and I are so far short that we just fall on our faces and despair because I may dab in your body who can both of us are going to be destroyed in God's presence, which was also number two.

Leviticus shows us a God's grace is greater than we dreamed this is also sales were so imagine that his grace is greater than we drift why God had been used to goats one go would make a point right it was to illustrate two different things God is doing with our sin. Anyone us to make sure that we saw about them.

One go got slaughtered for our sin, showing that the price for sin to be paid was a theological concept called justification. Justification means there literally is no more claim against you if you reckon the somebodies car and they drag you into court and the insurance pays their claim that music can ever drag you into court again over that same thing that you can justify the debt has been settled.

The other goat. The one that was sent into the wilderness illustrates for us the concept of cleansing. God not only pays for our sins, he removes them from us.

Whereas the first goat that was slaughtered shows us that we are forgiven on the basis of a substitute. The second coat shows us that our sins are forgotten and remove her from us as far the psalmist says as the east is from the last four horns that is nonmathematical by the way the concept east before you go that way. Well, supporting that way, they never touch. That's how far God has remove your transgressions from us. The psalmist says he's put them in the depths of the sea to solicit records and boom used to say. And wherever that was for the sea is a goblet or sins and little sign of this is no fishing allowed some fish somewhere really struggling with our sin, but we loved everything about it anymore cousins in the deepest part of the ocean, never to be dredged up again. There are some people who say off-line lessons are probably too bad I don't think I can be forgiven.

I knew what I was doing. You don't understand how I've heard people. I'm not sure that I can be saved as receiver 16 whatever whatever their sins may have been you see any conditions in there at all. And I know people use it well now that you have committed the sin against the Holy Spirit can't be forgiven. What Jesus said about the sin of the Holy Spirit in Luke 11 cannot contradict other things.

The Bible says like this in the Bible says that whoever comes Jesus will whatever sin can and will be forgiven.

The sin against the Holy Spirit means that you no longer desire forgiveness if you desire forgiveness.

Whatever you Don you can receive that forgiveness and the fact that you desire that forgiveness means that you haven't committed the sin against the Holy Spirit when you say I cannot be forgiven. You are not exaggerating the size of your sin, you are slinking the forgiving power of God. Your sin is great. I'm sure it is God's grace is greater, you say well maybe God can forgive me but I can't forgive myself. Now you're saying that your opinion matters more than God's who do you think you are. I get that you thought your sin is that Babbitt don't add to another sin by shrinking the size of the power of God thing you can really do what you said you were going to do and God promises to forgive you any promises to restore you. Who are you to exalt your opinion of yourself above God's opinion of you. Do not try to help holy guy, but he never turn out well. Atonement literally means in English were borne out one night God has made us one with him on this day God made Israel, one with him by satisfying the penalty of their sin and bundling it away forever. Voted off a cliff in the bottom of the sea, making as far as easy as the last mate is one with him on what God has joined together, that is great.

So much greater. Who knew such an encouraging message would come from the book of Leviticus. You're listening to some it like the Bible teaching ministry of pastor and author JD Greer. We are committed to bringing you gospel centered Bible teaching without finances getting in the way but that's only possible when we all work together to keep this ministry funded. When you get will say thanks by sending you an knew that by pastor JD titled just unpacked a bunch of common questions about prayer and it'll encourage you to spend time with God. This resource comes with our thanks when you donate today at the suggested level of $25 or more request they just asked prayer about when you call 866-3552 20 865 between what might be easier to get an online website is clear.yet find our email and be sure to go online today is the best way to stay up to date with pastor Katie latest blog post wants to make sure that you never miss a new source or theory quick and easy to sign@jdgreer.com Molly made events. So much for joining us today. Tomorrow we're going to continue her study in Leviticus, listening, and Friday I met my Greer ministry